


3 AM

by Miraltar



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Autistic Caustic | Alexander Nox, Autistic Character, Autistic Wattson| Natalie Paquette, Caustic is a wise old gay dad, Hot Cocoa, Octane is a good boyfriend, Other, Trans Caustic | Alexander Nox, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Wattson | Natalie Paquette, meltdowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24721903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraltar/pseuds/Miraltar
Summary: Octavio wakes Alexander suddenly, and urges the scientist to Natalie's room, where he finds she's having a particularly bad meltdown.
Relationships: Caustic | Alexander Nox/Mirage | Elliott Witt, Octane | Octavio Silva/Wattson | Natalie Paquette
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	3 AM

The knock at his door was what awoke him from his sleep. The scientist begrudgingly pulled the blankets off of him and rolled out of his bed. The lump on the bed, Elliott, moaned at the loss of heat next to him. “Aleeeex...it’s too early.”

The knocking on the door persisted, making Nox grumble. “I know, dear. I feel the same way.” He looks at the clock on his night stand, 3 am. He grumbles while walking to the door, angry at who would wake him from his slumber so suddenly. Through the peephole he sees the speedster, Octavio, more antsy than usual. The door slides open and he stands at full stature. “What could you possibly need at this ungodly hour, Mr. Octavio?” 

He notices that his mask is off, and that there are visible stains on his face...were those tear trails? “Please, Nox, please help. It ‘s Nat, she-”

Immediately the scientist pushes him out of the way and takes off. He knows this way by heart now, taking every turn down each hall before making it to the engineers room, he hears whimpering knowing immediately what’s going on.

He opens the door slowly and finds her on the ground, hands on her ears and rocking back and forth. He sighs and walks to her slowly.

“Ms. Paquette...can you hear me?”

She doesn’t respond. He sighs and goes to the bed and finds her favorite blanket: a weighted one, light blue, and covered with a pattern of those dinosaurs she loves so much, “Nessies” she called them. He carefully drapes it over her shoulders before going back to the bed and grabbing two of the Nessies, one blue and yellow with a soft ribbed pattern on the back, the other a hard plastic.

“Ms. Paquette, look who I have here. These two you love so dearly, would you like them?”

She doesn’t respond again, her rocking slowing down a tad. He takes the opportunity to insert them into her lap.

Octavio watches from the doorway, shocked at how calm the doctor is. Nox turns to him, “Silva, go to the kitchen and make two mugs of hot cocoa for us.” 

Normally Octavio would be upset at the lack of manners, but he could be angry later, he hurries to the kitchen to make the hot beverages.

Alexander turns back to the younger scientist. “Natalie, are you able to look at me?” She turns her eyes upwards and blinks a bit, before tears start to fall again. Alex reaches out to her slowly and begins to rub the back of her hand gently, rubbing intricate designs into them. “It is alright, Natalie. Everything will be alright.” He removes his hand and moves to sit beside her, opting instead to put an arm around her shoulders and bring her into a hug. She notices the sudden weight on her shoulders and hears the rough breathing of Caustic, which begins to put her at ease. The rocking soon slows, and her hands are removed from her ears, opting instead to play with the Nessies in her lap.

Alexander turns his head to look at her, “Natalie, are you quite alright?”

She turns her head to him and nods.

Nox smiles and wraps her into a full embrace, “You gave Octavio quite the scare. I had feared the worst had happened. Do you know what set it off?”

She slowly pulls away from the hug. “I...I do not know.”

Alex could see through her lies, “I cannot force you to speak about it, but I wish to help you in any way I am able to.”

Natalie looks up to him, “It...the usual, Doctor Caustic. Octavio visited and we were just watching a movie when all of a sudden the feeling...it returned. I pulled away and began pacing when it started to hit at full force again. It feels so awful, doctor. I don’t remember the word you said...dysphoria? It feels that no matter what I will always be...WRONG, and I won’t belong. I am afraid Octavio will one day leave me for someone who is…”

Alexander listens attentively. “You know, Ms. Paquette, I feel Octavio wouldn’t rush to wake me at an ungodly hour to assist you if he did not care for you deeply. I don’t believe he would be making us hot chocolate for not his undying love for you. He cares for you, Natalie, your gender identity matters little to him. You are his girlfriend, to him you are the world. I have had to chase him out of my lab many times because he would not stop pestering me about things you enjoyed, asking what chocolates, sweets, and meals you would like prepared. He adores you, Ms. Paquette.”

Alex sighs, “I wish I could tell you that the pain and emotion would stop soon, but even I still have days like yours. Days where I feel disgusted with myself, where I feel Elliott could do better than I, but I remember that he married me, and that he loves me, and that he proposed to me, nobody else. He loves me no matter what, just as Octavio does for you.”

She nods before standing, bringing the blanket back to her bed. “Thank you, Doctor Caustic. I needed to hear that.” She sighs before moving back to sit next to him, leaning a head on his shoulder. “Breasts are weird. I am not used to having them yet.” Alex chuckles, “Precisely the reason I had mine removed.” They both laugh for a bit before Octavio returns with two mugs in hand, full of presumably the hot chocolate, topped with a mountain of whip cream. “Hey uh...are you alright now mi amor?”

She looks to him as if he’s the most beautiful sight in the world, “Of course I am, I am even better now that you are here”

He chuckles for a second before laughing, “Now you’re just-”

“Oh, I was not speaking to you,” she stands up to retrieve the Hot Cocoa. “I love you,” she whispers into the mug before taking a sip.

“Wow. I see how it is, Nat. You can be cruel sometimes.” The engineer chuckles before leaning in to peck the daredevil’s cheek, “I adore you, Octavio. Tu es mon monde, mon amour.”

Nox chuckles before standing up, “If you two are quite done, I would like to be getting back to bed now. My husband was not pleased with my absence.”

The two nod at Alexander as he gets up to leave. “Wait, amigo! Don’t you want your hot chocolate?”

Nox stops in the doorway and looks back at him, “No thank you, Silva. I detest the beverage.” He exits the room and heads down the hallway.

\-----

Octavio stands there stunned, looking from the mug to the door, “What the hell, man?! He made me make two of them.”

Natalie chuckles, “Now you can drink one as well!”

Octavio grumbles, “I guess so.” He takes a sip before he sets the beverage on the table before retreating to the bed, “Lovebug, come cuddle with me! I’m tired.”

Natalie chuckles before setting her mug down as well before laying down. She shifts herself closer to her boyfriend, nestling into him at the feeling of her arm round him. “Octavio…”

He looks down at her, “Yeah, me amor?”

She stares into his eyes for a second and chuckles, “You have whipped cream on your nose!” She runs her thumb across the tip of his nose before bringing the digit to her mouth and licking it off, “You are so messy, it is cute.”

Octavio stares at her, stunned. “The only cute one here is you, chica.” He kisses her cheek and pulls her close. “I love you, Natalie.”

“I love you too, Octavio.” She sighs in his embrace, before drifting off to sleep.

\-------

Elliott is started by the door opening suddenly and groans at the light from the hallway. “Ugh, what now?”

Alex chuckles at his husband, “It is just me, my dear. I have returned.” He leans over to place a kiss onto Elliott’s forehead as he gets back into bed and under the covers. He feels his husband pull him closer to him, wrapping Alex in his embrace.

Elliott smiles against his back, placing a gentle kiss against it. “Good, I was starting to miss my permanent space heater.” Alex chuckles before relaxing into his lover’s grip, the conversation with Natalie was still fresh in his mind. “Elliott, dear?”

Elliott grumbles out a “yes?” Alex turns around in his grip to face him, before placing a gentle kiss onto his lips. Elliott, all too happy at the contact, smiles. “I love you, dearest.”

Elliott grips onto Alex tighter, “Yeah yeah, I know. I’m pretty great.” Alex chuckles before settling into the embrace, hearing a soft “I love you, Alex.” before drifting off into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely self indulgent. YES I am projecting onto my favorite characters.


End file.
